Kugel & Zuroweste Health Justice Award: Open for Nominations

Wed, 08/05/2020 | by MCN Admin

Ed and Candace pose for photo with friend

[ Ed Zuroweste (left) and Candace Kugel (right) with longtime friend Deisy Marquez in Honduras. ]

The Kugel & Zuroweste Health Justice Award recognizes a rising star clinician hard at work to achieve health justice, providing them with a one-time $1,000 award and national recognition through MCN’s communication and networking channels.

Nominations are now open. We call on individuals in the medical community to help us in recognizing a rising star clinician who is already working diligently in the health care field to mirror MCN’s vision of a world where practical solutions have been created at the intersection of vulnerability, migration, and health. In order to be considered for this national recognition, qualified medical professionals must meet the following nomination criteria:

Actively working in any area of health care, including as a health practitioner (MD, NP, RN, PA, etc.) or as a health communicator (community health worker, promotora, outreach worker. etc.);
No more than five years into their career;
Involved with the care of migrants;
Not a recipient of any other major award.

To submit your nomination, please send a short essay (no more than 500 words) with the nominee’s name, their medical and professional background, and explain the work your nominee has provided, as well as how that work aligns with MCN’s vision, to Ashley-Michelle Papon, MCN Project Coordinator, at apapon@migrantclinician.org.

While applicants can be self-nominated, MCN urges health care workers to consider using this process as a way to recognize their peers during this time of trial. The winning provider will receive a $1,000 award contribution to their work, as well as acknowledgement across our numerous channels of communication and networking. Nominations will be accepted until September 30. We urge interested parties to begin submitting applications right away, as health care equity and justice wait for no one. Thank you for joining us in being a force for health justice.

Please send your nomination essay to Ashley-Michelle Papon, MCN’s Project Coordinator, at apapon@migrantclinician.org by September 30, 2020.

The Kugel & Zuroweste Health Justice Award

Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) is overjoyed to celebrate two longtime MCN supporters, staff members, and champions of health justice: Candace Kugel, FNP, CNM, MS, and Ed Zuroweste, MD. Join us in honoring Candace and Ed, and encouraging new leaders to continue the vital fight for health justice.

“Candace and Ed devoted their careers to the pursuit of health justice,” said Karen Mountain, MBA, MSN, RN, MCN's CEO. “They are two of my personal heroes.”

Our goal of raising $20,000 will ensure the continuation of this award for the next decade. The funds are designated specifically for the awardees, and will not be used for any other purpose.

Photo of Ed in agricultural field with worker next to quote from Laszlo Madaras
[Ed in the field visiting tomato workers in Tennessee.]

Image of Candace laughing with a storekeeper in Honduras next to quote by Mary Englerth,"Candace is an outstanding leader in health justice and women’s rights. Her care and concern for her patients, as well as her tireless work for women’s health, are shining examples for clinicians everywhere."
[Candace laughing with a storekeeper in Honduras.]

About the Award

MCN wishes to recognize a clinician — a behavioral health practitioner, community health worker, dentist, nurse, nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner, optometrist, outreach specialist, physician, physician assistant, or social worker, etc. — who:

Demonstrates a significant commitment to health justice and contributes to the field of health justice. For example, they created a best practice or creative way to provide services to an underserved population such as agricultural workers or immigrants.
Is a “rising star” — within their first 5 years of practice and has not yet received a major or national award.
Special consideration will be given to a person who faced and overcame significant barriers to be a clinician; or a clinician whose parents or immediate family members are migrant workers or from another underserved community.

About Candace Kugel and Ed Zuroweste

Candace Kugel, FNP, CNM, MS, and Ed Zuroweste, MD, both exemplify commitment and meaningful contribution to health justice. Working alongside one another for decades in the fight for health justice, they celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in 2019.

Candace Kugel at a Hombres Unidos Contra la Violencia Familiar training in Pennsylvania in 2008.

Candace Kugel became a Family Nurse Practitioner in 1983 and 10 years later also completed training and certification as a Nurse-Midwife.

The majority of Candace's clinical career was spent working in both roles serving farmworkers and others at a migrant and community health center in rural Pennsylvania. Additionally, she has performed extensive training and technical assistance in the areas of women's health and clinical management internationally and in US health centers and clinics.

"I met Candace in Australia and later worked with her in Honduras. She is wonderful, and a fabulous teacher. Both Candace and Ed have an innate spirit of adventure," reflected Mamie K. Guidera, MSN, CNM, FACNM, Advanced Senior Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

"There are so many lovely things that one can say about Candace: her ability to connect with people from all walks of life; her warmth, kindness, and profound empathy; her deep passion for and commitment to service; her meticulous attention to detail to make certain the work is of the highest quality; her obviously loving relationship with Ed; and her joy and laughter even in trying circumstances," said Suzanne Stalls, CNM, MA, Senior Technical Advisor, Jhpiego. "I am deeply grateful that Candace is a part of my life and I know there are hundreds of others whose lives she and Ed have touched. They make the world a more compassionate, just place."

Candace has numerous publications, including a chapter on US migrant health as global health in an award-winning textbook on global health nursing. She continues to serve as a consultant for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health Care and has been MCN’s Specialist for Clinical Systems and Women’s Health since 2001.

“I am so grateful for all the work Candace does to ensure a professional, genuine portrayal of the challenges faced by women employed in agriculture,” said Melissa Castillo, Director of Community Outreach for Kinston Community Health Center in
North Carolina.

Ed Zuroweste gives a baby a check up

Ed Zuroweste's 40-year career in health justice centers on migrant health and outreach to agricultural workers.

“Ed exemplifies what it means to practice the art of medicine. Truly devoted to his patients, he is a strong leader in improving health care for the migrant community. His life’s work focuses on improving working conditions and raising awareness of the dangers prevalent in agricultural work,” said Mary Englerth, director of the Keystone Farmworker Health Program in Pennsylvania.

Ed’s previous positions include: Medical Director of Keystone Health Center, a large Migrant and Community Health Center in Pennsylvania; Assistant Professor of Medicine at the John Hopkins School of Medicine; Tuberculosis Medical Consultant for the Pennsylvania Department of Health; and Special Medical Consultant for the World Health Organization. Ed received the Global Health Education Consortium's Christopher Krogh Memorial Award. He serves as MCN’s Founding Medical Director.

“Right away, Ed made me feel comfortable and part of the team when I joined MCN. It’s so important in my position as a Health Network Associate to have such a solid and communicative relationship with MCN’s Founding Medical Director,” said Luis Retta, MCN Health Network Associate.

Read more about Ed's career in MCN's 35-year anniversary series here.

“I’ve worked with Ed for over 20 years and I know him to be such a calm and reassuring presence during challenging times in the migrant health field,” said Laszlo Madaras, MD, MPH, SFHM, MCN’s Chief Medical Officer. “Ed is someone you want to do right by.”